‘Industry must think broader to overcome its problems’

As EG reveals more names on its 2017 Collaborators list, Mount Anvil’s Killian Hurley discusses why it is vital for the public and private sectors to collaborate At Mount Anvil, we believe that we must be brave as a company and attempt new things to gain the trust and respect of our customers, partners and the communities in which we operate. In our experience, it is when our industry works collaboratively that we achieve the best results collectively. So why is collaboration so key? Look at London. We are in the midst of a housing crisis and we can’t afford to rely on a small number of large housebuilders to solve it. Instead, I believe we need to think broader, try new things and give the smaller parties a chance to collaborate and to bring together a range of skills.  As a business, we try to contribute as much as we can to housing supply. We are gearing ourselves up to deliver on this promise over the next five years, with the ability to treble our output from 500 homes a year to 1,500. The only way we can do this is through partnership and collaboration. We are proud of our repeat partnerships with Ares Management, One Housing Group, Clarion Housing Group and A2Dominion, and are looking forward to collaborating with our new partners L&Q, Peabody and Sainsbury’s, along with the local authorities and the Greater London Authority. Our industry is so diverse that it is vital for us to come together – public and private sectors – to create much-needed, and better, homes and communities across London. But what does this really mean? For me it’s all about the people, it’s about respect for people, putting our egos to one side and looking to achieve the best outcome as opposed to ‘how do I get my idea implemented first’. For instance, one of our most recent collaboration projects is in the Royal Docks in east London. The Royal Victoria Dock is redefining itself as a connected and aspirational place to call home. We have developed 105 mixed-tenure homes there, and aim to deliver as many as 1,000 homes in future phases, as part of the ongoing regeneration of the Docklands. For me, it’s all about the people, it’s about respect for people, putting our egos to one side and looking to achieve the best outcome We surely couldn’t have done it alone. We have collaborated with London International Exhibition Centre, the London Borough of Newham and the Greater London Authority to create a new development offering high-quality homes, retail space and public realm, which will add to the extensive regeneration already under way here. As Einstein said – and he’s much quoted for a reason: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.” Therefore, I believe it is vital that our industry collaborates so that we can learn from other people, work side by side, and deliver high-quality legacy developments across the capital. Our collaborations are based on trust, earned through character and competency. Group chief executive of Clarion Housing Group, Keith Exford, recently told me the reason they look forward to joint ventures with us is that we “have worked creatively and collaboratively to deliver schemes with a lasting legacy”. I strongly believe that if you have a shared vision, provide a great work environment, share the risks and returns and ultimately evolve a community through developments, you can only succeed. And succeed better than ever before. We look forward to continuing to work on projects that enhance the vision of joint working and partnership in our industry, and we are committed to leading the way on the discussion about how particular collaborations have come about, and how they have helped to shape not only the current landscape, but also that of different methods of working in the future. Killian Hurley, chief executive, Mount Anvil